


Lost Luggage

by southerndrawlinmypants



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: DD9, Gen, Humor, Lost Luggage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-08 21:42:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1957122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southerndrawlinmypants/pseuds/southerndrawlinmypants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezri comes back on a flight from Cardassia visiting a friend to find that her luggage has gone missing. Given a meal voucher for her troubles, she heads to a cafe and runs into someone she's sure she's met before. DD9!Universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost Luggage

**Author's Note:**

> For onetobeamup, who is responsible for the birth of this ship in the first place. Set in the DD9!universe.

Ezri grew more and more panicked as the conveyor belt got emptier. Bajor's airport was small (it had burned down on more than one occasion and people were loath to spend much money on it) so she was sure she was in the right place. Her suitcase was bright yellow, so would have stood out against the endless sea of black. She tapped her foot impatiently and took her earphones out in case something relating to the luggage was announced over the speakers. 

The flight had made her nervous and it was only after they had touched down and she had been allowed to pace around the airport that her stomach had calmed down and she'd been able to breathe properly. The plane had been rocked with turbulence and the people were loud and excited after visiting relatives and choruses of songs had rattled her brain until she'd had no choice but to rock in her seat and turn up her headphones until they were blaring. From the look the woman next to her gave her it was loud enough for her to hear, and under normal circumstances she would have blushed and apologised. However flight sickness meant all politeness went out the window and it was 'Ezri distract yourself before you throw up' time. Now that her luggage was most likely lost the sick feeling was back. 

Eventually it was only Ezri herself that was left in the room, staring blankly at the spot her luggage should be. She went to information and asked about her missing luggage, and was told to wait here until they could find out more. After asking several times if they had heard anything yet she was politely shooed away with a complimentary meal voucher and they jotted down her details so they could contact her. Dragging her feel but still perky at the prospect of free food she looked for the airport café she knew made excellent sandwiches. 

It was pretty busy, and filled with the Cardassian passengers she had shared her flight with. Glaring at the loud party of four who had given her a headache she ordered a coffee and a veggie pattie (with ALL the vegetables) to sit in with and realised that there were no free seats. Well, there was one. At a two seater in the corner, a Cardassian man sat reading the paper intently. He looked quite intimidating, but she'd already paid the sit in fee which the voucher hadn't covered and wasn't about to leave without getting her money's worth. Scary man be damned. She scooted up to the free seat.

“Excuse me?”

The man looked up from his paper with a bored expression.

“Yes?”

Ezri gulped and pointed.

“Is this seat free? All the other one's are taken so...”

Reluctantly he nodded and Ezri smiled, relieved that she wouldn't have to scuttle away embarrassed to eat standing up in the corner. She ripped into her sandwich and prided herself on not letting any stray strips of lettuce or olives escape. It was difficult work, but worth not getting glared at by the man in front of her and being branded a messy eater. Well...she was a messy eater. He didn't have to know that. Eventually his face grew familiar and she began to wonder where she had seen him before. He had most likely been on the same flight since it was the only one that had touched down in the last three hours, but that wasn't it. Yoga? No. He didn't look the type. Maybe he was a customer at Deep Dish Nine? No, the only Cardassians that came in were Garak to see Julian and Dukat, sometimes Ziyal. Now that she thought of Dukat she felt she was getting warmer. She narrowed her eyes. 

This is going to annoy me all day, she thought.

“Do I know you from somewhere?”

He looked up from his paper and she froze at his intent gaze. Ezri became aware that she'd spoken with her mouth full, and salad cream was now dripping down her chin. She ducked and wiped it away. He looked at her quizzically. 

“We were probably on the same flight.”

Despite this he too was beginning to squint at her. Ha! She was right!

“No, I don't think that's it. Ever been to Deep Dish Nine?”

He scoffed as if remembering an inside joke but his smile soon fell away.

“Not lately. I used to work there.”

“Really?!”

He seemed alarmed at how excited she was getting. She pulled herself back. Worf would be proud at her constraint. 

“I mean really that's interesting. Before Mr. Sisko bought it you mean? Does that mean you work at -”

“-Dukat's new pizza place? Yes.”

“Do you like it?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Ezri cringed and he went back to her paper. Conversation ruined. Must be a sore subject. She continued to eat her sandwich in silence, trying to take up as least space as possible. When she'd put the last bite in her mouth her pocket vibrated. She answered and it was security, saying they'd found her luggage and that it had been overlooked in a corner along with another case. She thanked them then texted Jadzia to come pick her up. As she collected her empty wrapper, her table companion's phone also rang. She lingered as he nodded along, thanked whoever was calling and hung up. She cleared her throat.

“They lost your luggage too?”

He nodded and they shared a moment going over the frustration of it all and damning the staff (Ezri felt that was a little harsh, but she nodded along for friendliness sake) and they walked to pick up their cases together. She found out his name was Damar, and that he had been visiting his ex-wife and children for the holidays. Ezri explained that she'd also been to Cardassia for the holidays to stay with a friend there.

“A Cardassian friend?”

“Yeah, we got friendly during the whole switch over time in Bajor and kept in touch. She told me the festival lights were the most beautiful sight in the world and she was right. I didn't want to leave.”

Damar smiled sadly.

“Me neither.”

She felt a little sad at this, imagining similar looking children with big lips and dark hair circling around his legs with sparklers and traditional clothing that was too big for them but had been passed down generations for the festival as tradition demanded. The coat Gikera had let her wear had belonged to her great aunt, and she had giggled as she flicked blue paint on her forehead. From Damar's face he was thinking of something similar, and her heart sank at the man thousands of miles away from his children and surrounded by things unfamiliar and unwelcoming to him. 

A old man with a hat that read 'security' approached them with a trolley and called out to them.

“Got some suitcases here! Sorry about all that. Could I see some ID please? Just to confirm.”

Damar had his on hand and got his suitcase back first, a big bulky thing that took some effort to get out the trolley. Ezri fiddled with the contents of her handbag and pulled out her passport triumphantly.

“Ah ha! Yup Ezri Dax it should be mine in there it's got a label on it.”

As the man nodded and reached into the compartment she was overcome with horror as she remembered which case she had brought with her. Assured by her friend that she'd stand out if she brought any of her own clothes with her and that she should just borrow some of hers, she had brought her small weekend bag that she usually only took on camping trips with her sister. Sure enough a huff of quiet laughter from Damar made her cover her face with her hands as the sweet old man handed over a small bumblebee suitcase made for children. 

“I swear this isn't my usual suitcase.”

“Okay.”

His face was neutral but a hint of a smirk was on his lips and she couldn't help smiling too. She suddenly didn't feel so embarrassed. From the look of him, he needed something to laugh about and she happily obliged. 

As they waved goodbye to each other and she slid into the back seat of Jadzia's BMW she promised herself she'd find out where Dukat's new place was. It would be going over enemy lines but she wanted to see that mouth quirk into one of delighted surprise. If only for a second.


End file.
